Buffalo County, Wisconsin Genealogy
Guide to Buffalo County, Wisconsin ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
The county was named for Buffalo River. The county is located in the west area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Buffalo County Courthouse
407 S. 2nd Street
Alma, WI 54610
Phone: 608-685-6206
Buffalo County Website
Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death, burial and land records.
Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records.
Register in Probate has probate records.[3]
Buffalo County, Wisconsin Record Dates
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1855 | 1856 | 1873 | 1853 | 1854 | 1854 | 1820 |
Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
- Biographical Index: History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin, 1888, USGenWeb Archives
- History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin, 1888, Google Archives
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 3,864 | — |
| 1870 | 11,123 | 187.9% |
| 1880 | 15,528 | 39.6% |
| 1890 | 15,997 | 3.0% |
| 1900 | 16,765 | 4.8% |
| 1910 | 16,006 | −4.5% |
| 1920 | 15,615 | −2.4% |
| 1930 | 15,330 | −1.8% |
| 1940 | 16,090 | 5.0% |
| 1950 | 14,719 | −8.5% |
| 1960 | 14,202 | −3.5% |
| 1970 | 13,743 | −3.2% |
| 1980 | 14,309 | 4.1% |
| 1990 | 13,584 | −5.1% |
| 2000 | 13,804 | 1.6% |
| 2010 | 13,587 | −1.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing Buffalo census records online, see: Wisconsin Census.
- 1855 Wisconsin State Census, 1855 This census includes name of head of family; other individuals in the household are identified by sex and race, number of deaf and dumb, blind, insane and foreign born. - How to Use this Collection
- 1865 Wisconsin State Census, 1865 Name index & images of the 1865 State Census which names the head of household. Most records have been destroyed but schedules exist for the following counties: Dunn, Green, Jackson, Kewaunee, Ozaukee, and Sheboygan. - How to Use this Collection
- 1875 Wisconsin State Census, 1875 Identifies head of household by name. - How to Use this Collection
- 1885 Wisconsin State Census, 1885 — index & images. Search indexed census.Identifies by name of head of household. Other information is statistical and identifies the rest of the household by race, gender and country of birth. - How to Use this Collection
- 1895 Wisconsin State Census, 1895 — index & images. Identifies head of household by name. Other information is statistical. - How to Use this Collection
- 1905 Wisconsin State Census, 1905 — Name index & images of population. Enumerates by name all inhabitants. - How to Use this Collection
Church Records
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Wisconsin denominations, view the Wisconsin Church Records wiki page.
Lutheran
Buffalo County
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, Buffalo County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com. ($).
St. John's Lutheran Church, Alma
- Records of St. John's Lutheran Church, Alma, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com. ($).
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
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Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Wisconsin Land and Property for additional information about early Wisconsin land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Indexes to deeds and mortgages (1854-1892) and deeds (1854-1887), Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Original records at the Buffalo County Courthouse in Alma, Wisconsin.
- Land Patents Database: Buffalo County, USGenWeb Archives
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Wisconsin
- Family Maps of Buffalo County, Wisconsin (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
Regiments. Service men in Buffalo served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Buffalo:
- - 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company L
- - 6th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company H
- - 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company F
- - 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Reorganized, Company C
- - 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company I
- 1883 List of Pensioners or Dependents, Buffalo County USGenWeb Archives
World War I
World War II
- Buffalo County Army Enlistees, Surnames Abts-Mulyck USGenWeb Archives
- Buffalo County Army Enlistees, Surnames Neis-Zittel USGenWeb Archives
Naturalization and Citizenship
- Naturalization records (ca. 1853-1906) and naturalization card index (ca. 1858-1950), ca. 1853-1950 Viewable on line. Includes card index; most volumes include individual indexes as well.
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Wisconsin, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Wisconsin Newspapers Online
- Wisconsin Digital Newspaper at Wisconsin State Historical Society
Obituaries
- Alma Obituaries Index, WIGenWeb Project
- Links to Obituaries, Charles Ebersold, Barbara Heller, John Ebersold, John Kostner, Roscoe Maynard McQuiston, and Margaret Ebersold McClellan - USGenWeb Archives
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Probate records are held by the Buffalo Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Buffalo Courthouse. See the wiki page Wisconsin Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Content: Probate records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, and adoptions.
- Probate file index (ca. 1854-1980) and probate files (ca. 1854-1900), ca. 1854-1980 Microreproduction of original records at the Buffalo County courthouse in Alma, Wisconsin. Files contain legal papers filed in probate proceedings, including estate, guardianship, adoption, and insanity records. Includes index.
- Register in Probate has probate records[8]
Online Records
- 1800–1987 Wisconsin Wills and Probate Records 1800-1987 at Ancestry — images and index $
- 1848–1948 Wisconsin Probate Estate Files 1848-1948 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Wisconsin tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned property or other items that could be taxed were listed, some residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records. For more information see the Wiki page, Wisconsin Taxation.
Vital Records
- Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death, burial and land records.
- Clerk of Courts has divorce and court records.
Birth
- 1820-1907 Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1820-1907 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1820-1920: Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1808-1920 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1826-1908 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1826-1908 at Ancestry — index $
- 1826-1926 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings, 1826-1926 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- Pre-1907 Pre-1907 Wisconsin Vital Records Index at Wisconsin Historical Society - free index, images ($)
Marriage
- Pre-1907 Pre-1907 Wisconsin Vital Records Index at Wisconsin Historical Society - free index, images ($)
- 1836-1911 Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1836-1930 Wisconsin, Marriages, 1836-1930 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1973-1997 Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1973-1997 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1973-1997 Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997 at Ancestry — index & images $
- Wisconsin Marriages at MyHeritage — index ($)
Death
- 1820-1907 Wisconsin, Death Index, 1820-1907 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1835-1968 Wisconsin, Deaths and Burials, 1835-1968 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1867-1907 Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- Pre-1907 Pre-1907 Wisconsin Vital Records Index at Wisconsin Historical Society - free index, images ($)
- 1959-1997 Wisconsin, Death Index, 1959-1997 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- Wisconsin Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
Divorce
- 1907-2015 Wisconsin, U.S., Divorce Records, 1907-2015 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1965-1984 Wisconsin, Divorce Index, 1965-1984 at FamilySearch.org — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1985-Onward Wisconsin Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Buffalo County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.
- Inventory of the county archives of Wisconsin no. 6, Buffalo County (Alma). Includes chronological & subject indexes.
FamilySearch Centers
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Buffalo County. For state-wide library facilities, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Buffalo County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Wisconsin Societies.
- Alma Historical Society
PO Box 473
505 S 2nd St
Alma, WI 54610
Phone 608-685-4473
Email:contact@almahistory.info
Website - Buffalo County Historical Society
PO Box 394
407 South Second Street, Second Floor
Alma, WI 54610
Phone 608-685-6290
Email: historical@buffalocounty.com
Website - Fountain City Area Historical Society
PO Box 114
7 South Main Street
Fountain City, WI 54629
Phone 608-687-7541
Facebook - Mondovi Area Historical Society
156 Franklin St.
basement of Mondovi city building
Mondovi, WI 54755
Phone 715-926-3286
Facebook
Website
Websites
- Buffalo County, WI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Wisconsin Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- WIGenWeb
- USGenWeb Archives
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Buffalo County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_County,_Wisconsin."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Page 755-760, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 757-759.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Buffalo County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_County,_Wisconsin#Communities, accessed 4 August 2018.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
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